The Call Of The Chase
by Damn-The-Jam
Summary: Darren and Mr Crepsley are once again on the trail of a Mad Vamapaneze. Humanity is at stake, and Darren is not about to give up without a fight beforehand. Will their chase go to plan, or will the duo be forced to improvise?
1. Let Us Cut To The Chase!

**This is what happens after finishing the Darren Shan Saga! :3 I may add more, depending on muse. **

**Characters©Darren Shan || Writing©SherlockedMelon**

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><p><em><strong>H<strong>_ave you ever experienced the feeling of deep dread? Ever accepted a cruel twist in fate even before it has happened? Well today was such a day for these sensations. In eerie and darkened streets we ran in pursuit. Pursuit of whom was beyond our knowledge, which only made my fear escalate. I was young – fourteen in fact – and had little knowledge of our blood brothers. Days ago, I only knew their label. The Vampaneze. Earlier today, however, Mr Crepsley had taught me more about them; he had sat me down with serious features and he had spoken in an unusually soft voice. I felt awkward at that point in time, for never had I seen Mr Crepsley so gentle beforehand. It was as if he knew something he wasn't telling me.

During our talk, Mr Crepsley had told me everything that I needed to know about them. Initially I was horrified – they sounded a cruel version of the vampire, and they seemed to me like a species lacking morals. However, a further explanation from Mr Crepsley set me straight. By taking the life of the human they were drinking from, they saved a part of their soul. This, to them, was much kinder than leaving scars on their body without an explanation, as was the vampire way.

That's as far as my knowledge went. Mr Crepsley had no time to explain anything else to me, for we rushed from the Cirque Du Freak to this shabby town. News had broken of four deaths within only a week. With obvious bite marks, (and not to the neck like would be expected) they were found drained of most of their blood. To humans, it was the work of a twisted killer. To us, however, it was the work of a vampaneze.

"Which way now?" I panted, my eyes darting left to right. I halted as I said this, the soles of my shoes grinding against the damp pavement. At this, Larten stopped a little ahead of me, and his sharp eyes locked upon my features eagerly.

"Well, which way did he go?" he enquired sarcastically, his eyebrows rising as he mocked my question.

"I don't…" I was cut short by movement. I'd spotted him again, the cape he wore flapping against the wind. "There!" I shouted. Giving him no time in which to react with words, I shot off after him, determined now more than ever to catch him. Mr Crepsely followed reluctantly. I think he was unsure that I had actually seen him, but he was forced to follow me regardless of what he thought.

"Darren…" huffed the full vampire once he had reached my side. I had forgotten that he was faster than me.

"Are you… sure it was… him?" stammered he, his eyes looking into mine with both fatigue and seriousness. What a doubting question that was! Irritated, I spat back at him; "Yes! Who goes around… wearing a cape nowadays?"

His smug smile had been turned upside down by my remark. Half smiling, I quickened my pace, certain of what we were tracking. A sigh shifted from Mr Crepsley's system – an obvious sign of displeasure in the way I had acted to him. Tough luck. I wasn't about to spare him some irritation if human lives were at stake.

With this now fresh in my mind, I surged my wary limbs onwards. The vampire at my side seemed to be coping fine, despite the staggered rasping for breath. It didn't seem to affect his movement, however, and so he was soon overtaking me. I'd forgotten that he held more stamina than me, and foolishly so, for the angered Crepsley turned suddenly and caught me as I ran into him, unaware of his dramatic stop before I could do anything about it. Grasping my shoulders, he rattled my frame back and forth ferociously.

"What the hell were you doing?" he bellowed, his vocals strained as his eyes widened through anger.

"Saving everyone here, they…" I tried to justify my actions, but before I could finish the vampire set his palm across my face and slapped me – hard!

"You can not save everyone if you're dead, Darren!" he shouted in the same, vicious tone as before.

"See some sense, boy!" This time, his tone was not as harsh. He had seemed to calm down slightly, perhaps in realisation of his short temper and the impacts it had on me. Never had I seen him quite like this, and I am guessing that it showed on my face judging from the vampire's reaction.

"I am sorry, Darren, but you need learn."

At this I glared at him; hatred fuelling my stare. Flashbacks of that cruel night stirred within me, as if determined to make me despise Mr Crepsley once more. I fought the urges to lash out and him, but instead of taming my words, I spat venomous syllables at him.

"You're the one who dragged me into this whole, dammed mess! You and your petty bargaining with life! You're the one who blooded me as a young, innocent child and tore me away from any form of humanity." It seemed I had gone a bit too far, for the vampire's features were now contorted with rage.

"Don not bring up the past, Darren, it makes no difference to us now. You need to learn the ways of vampires, and I am allowing you to do so. If you don't want my guidance, fine. I will leave you to it…" as he said this, the vampire strode away, his red cloak flapping behind him.

I was certain he wasn't actually going to walk away, but still I did something to stop him – something to show him that he was right, and I was wrong. Although I still didn't think so, I wasn't exactly presented with a choice.

"Sorry, Mr Crepsley, I didn't mean to say such things. You're right." My words were simple but meaningful. As I stood, witnessing the departure of my guardian, I clenched my fists to combat my remaining hatred for the vampire. He took a few more steps before turning one-hundred-and-eighty degrees to face me. A smile upon his face took me by surprise.

"It is fine, boy. Now let us cut to the chase!"

"What chase? Because of you I no longer know where he went." I sighed, making sure not to raise my vocals. Larten's smile broadened (and annoyingly so) for it seemed that he knew much more than he was letting on. I held my breath, anxious to find out what he was hiding.


	2. A Puzzling Plot

The silence that followed was profound. There we were, in the middle of the darkened streets, saying nothing, doing nothing. Mr Crepsley kept the smirk upon his face as I stared blankly at him. I had no clue what kind of game he was playing – never had I known him to be so changeable in his demeanour. The majority of my being was anxious to discover what his thoughts were, although, this being said, a small part of me wished to not gain such knowledge.

"We will find him again, rest assured." he said with un-doubtable confidence. My suspicions grew towards the vampire in that instant. He had instructed me to pursue the vampaneze ruthlessly, regardless of their actions against us, yet when I fulfilled his commands, he set his hand across my face and shouted at me. Recollecting upon the last minute or so did not help my feelings towards Larten, for I felt a target of his unjust wrath.

I hoped an answer would come from him soon, justifying his temperamental state. Although it was like him to be a bit of a grump on occasions, never had I seen him lose his cool quite like this. He has always been a vampire who is dreadfully aware of what he is doing. It seems a little out of place for him to act in such a harsh manner, especially to his assistant.

Shaking my head, I broke the train of thought there and then. No use would come of jumping to conclusions – I really should have learnt that by now! I guess it's an old, human habit of mine.

"How can you be so sure of yourself?" I enquired, a hint of my scepticism leaking through my words.

Tapping his nose, Mr Crepsley began to walk away from me, itching his scar as he moved. With each step his joy began to deteriorate, and after only ten strides did he revert to his usual, on edge personality. In all truth, I was baffled. Not knowing what to do, I fell upon my instincts and did as they advised. I followed him through twisting alleys; passing large skips crammed full of waste, the smell to both Larten and me disgusting and foul. Having no idea of where we were heading, I stayed close to the heels of my protector, (if he even deserved such a title after his unjustified beating) keeping my eyes peeled and my breathing steady. I had to remember that we were giving chase to a mad murderer at every second of my progress. If I failed to remember this, I may be caught unawares. The consequences are ones I wish not to dwell upon.

After minutes of walking in silence, I began to crow anxious as to what we were doing. As a result, I spoke out to Mr Crepsley, eager to gain an answer.

"Where are we going?" I said simply, flicking a lost strand of hair from my eyes.

"Hunting for vampaneze – you should already know that, Darren."

"From the way you have been acting, I'm not sure what to think anymore."

"Are you implying something?"

His last question set me on edge slightly, for his tone was questioning and prying. I gulped, attempting to swallow my surprise and make myself sound confident for my reply. It didn't come as swiftly as I'd hoped; yet with only seconds more to wait, I found my voice in good time still.

"Do you want the blunt truth or the sweet lies?" I asked, trying to sound as if selling him some sweets on a counter, using the same high yet grinding vocals as a shopkeeper would.

"I'll go for the blunt truth – let's just hope it's not your deepest, darkest secret!" at his own remark he chuckled, lifting his arm from his side to smoothen the ginger crop of hair that sat nonchalantly upon his head. It always amuses me how some people feel the need to laugh at their own jokes. It is as if through laughing, they can make the remark funnier, when in actual fact, it just earns them a sideways glance and a judgemental thought. In this case, both were performed, for I found the joke far from amusing.

"I'm implying that you have been acting odd recently. Tonight you have done nothing but differ in your personality." There was no point in being idle about this; there was no room for sympathetic dialogue surrounded by all possible twists in fate that could land upon us at any given time. Before Mr Crepsley could reply to me, however, I spoke out to him again, this time an accusative question on the cards.

"What is wrong with you?"

It was blunt, harsh and judgemental, but now was not the time to consider feelings. Larten seemed to take it well, despite my initial thoughts of the offence that he may have reacted with. Without turning to face me and continuing to walk forwards, the vampire replied to me.

"Nothing is wrong. I am simply playing along with a plot, Darren, and it is a plot that you are safer not to know of yet."

I held my breath upon hearing this, and although he said it in a calm manner, I could hear the teasing colour within his voice. Yet again, he inferred me as an immature child, and thought that I was not able to know what he was playing at. Recollecting upon the past five minutes of walking, however, and I pick up the return in his truthful character once more. Could it be, in that case, that he was acting to someone, or something? Perhaps he was trying to gain the attention of someone, and there could be a figure following us right now?

All kinds of thoughts churned about my brain as I thought deeply upon the words Larten had just spoken. A plot. That's what he had said, but what I was so nervous about was with whom the plot was thought up and carried through. I wasn't exactly the paranoid type, yet even this caused my nerves to tremble.

"Could you be anymore mysterious if you tried?" I finally remarked, my shade of voice cheeky and mocking as it hit the air. A small chuckle from the orange-haired vampire sent a slight shiver down my spine, and his reply even more so.

"I could be, but for your benefit I will not."

After these words, silence seemed to be on the prowl, heart-set on escalating my paranoia and fear. We passed neglected buildings, tight and narrow alleys, dead ends, garbage dumps and even a small, controlled fire. The landscape around me was desolate, damp, and most obviously, dark. My nerves had calmed down since Mr Crepsley had told me only part of the truth. Although partial, at least I knew it wasn't me who was to blame. Surely that was some form of consolation? Sighing, I walked on, determined to let my mind slip from all thoughts of Mr Crepsley and his 'plot'. I had to keep a lookout for our blood brothers, despite the confusing actions of Larten. With this in mind, I set my eyes upon the landscape around me.


	3. The First Encounter

It took us no more than five minutes to reach an eerily quiet back-alley, and it seemed, judging from Mr Crepsley's expression, that this was the place in which he was seeking out. Why was beyond me, for he had said nothing else since our conversation earlier. All I knew about was this so-called 'plot' - which seemed so important to Larten that he could not even tell his assistant of it.

Grinding to a halt, Mr Crepsley ran a palm through his hair whilst sighing. It was not from nerves, but from an increasing pressure, or so I would have thought.

"Are you okay?" Asked he, genuine concern leaking into his words. A half-smile played upon my lips at his question.

"Why the concern?" The question was one I did indeed want to know the answer to, yet I asked in it such a manner that would hopefully lead the vampire General to think that I was being cheeky with him as oppose to actual concern. It seemed to work.

"Can I not be concerned of the welfare of my assistant?" Larten asked, his voice differing in pitch as he spoke. "After all, you can be a clumsy bugger!"

Grinning, I walked on past the vampire, purposely tripping over my own feet as I did so. Larten laughed, but midway, breath caught in his throat as his eyes sought after something against the curtain of night. I snapped my head round, losing my balance as I did so. Although I did not fall entirely, I felt my feet pump faster as to hopefully gain some more control. It worked, yet this bought me closer to whatever lurked out of my sight. Whatever Larten Crepsley had seen, I was heading straight for it...

"What a treeeeat you look, young'un," hissed a demonic voice. My mind whirred and my muscles tensed. I was still travelling towards the voice with no sense of balance or control. From what I heard, it was not a pleasant voice, and I could hear an obvious hunger within the tones. Hunger for what; I wished not to find out. So I had to stop myself – and soon!

I was lucky Mr Crepsley was so quick to react. Before I crashed to the floor through panic, he pulled me viciously backwards, restricting the downward force that was acting upon me. Gasping, I kicked out my feet, attempting to find any form of balance I could. It worked, and as Larten let me go, I found my feet and regained any composure that I could find. Not much came my way, but it would make a difference (or so I hoped).

"Oh, so you'ree a spoilsport now, aree yooou?" purred the voice, a sinister tone woven within the words. As it -he?- spoke, I saw the flash of mouldy teeth. Somehow they retained a shine. A deep maroon gunge had built up near the roots of the teeth whilst black mould seemed to spread upwards to the jagged points. A stench quickly hit my nostrils – a stench that couldn't be mistaken by a creature of the night like I. Blood.

I stood still – too scared to move. It was a vampaneze, and one that had a sinister way of speaking. Moving sideways, I crept ever closer to my mentor, hoping he would give me some confidence to face our foe. If he proved useless I could always use him as a human shield.

"Yes." Replied Larten curtly. He stepped forwards sharply – threateningly – hoping to deter the purple-skinned creature away from us. Staying put, I watched innocently from the side-lines, hoping that the two more powerful beings would leave me out of their battle. Yet the vampaneze within the shadows didn't move a muscle; didn't even flinch! Larten stood, panting slightly, keeping a sharp gaze upon his blood cousin. For minutes nothing was said. Eerie silence dawned upon us – tension within in the air seemed to rise with every ticking second.

Simply – surprisingly – the cloaked night-creature strode away. He gave no prior warning as to doing so, and I was taken aback by his actions. Surely he was here to fight us, not to flee? Yet Mr Crepsley appeared neutral with no change upon his face evident. Had he expected this? From the fact that my mentor had now also commenced into a brisk walk, I began to suspect that he had. Picking up my feet, I followed suit, confused and anxious as to what was really going on. The vampaneze in front of us was not running, meaning that I was forced to revise my thoughts of him fleeing.

It then struck me – he was leading us somewhere. Perhaps there were more vamapaneze awaiting us, or Larten had struck a deal with his enemies? Maybe he intended to sacrifice me to them… No. It was ludicrous just to think it, let alone believe it. Mr Crepsley would never betray me in such a manner, even if he had been out of character recently. A vampire of his standing would never stoop so low. I sighed, amazed that I had even considered it as a possibility, and that I had ever doubted my mentor in the first place. He said he had a plan – a plot – and perhaps he had thought of it solo, and it would help rid this town of the murderous, ruthless vampaneze.

After only a couple of minutes maintaining the pace, the vampaneze suddenly jerked into a flit, caught Larten unawares, and managed to escape our presence. Mr Crepsley was just about to flit after him when he remembered I was there too. He invited me onto his back, with every intention to flit after the somewhat mouldy creature-of-the-night, yet I shook my head, seeing sense, knowing that this time he had got away. Cursing, Larten dug his heel into the damp pavement whilst looking about him. He wanted to catch site of his target, but it was all in vain – the vampaneze had left no trace.

"We should have run after him!" fumed Larten, convinced that I was in the wrong.

"He had already gone, it would have been wasted effort."

"We could have tried."

"We've tried already, and he got away this time. We'll find him again another night."

"What if we do not?" challenged my mentor, eyes burning, fists clenched.

"Then… I don't know – you're the one who is supposed to be guiding me!" I retorted, starting to become agitated myself. However hard I tried to make him listen, he just seemed oblivious to anything I had to say. No real change there then.

"So you should have listened to me and allowed me to flit, if I am the one who needs to guide you!" It was evident that he was not going to give up without a proper argument. I sighed, turning my back on him slightly, letting my limbs hang limp by my side. I wasn't going to argue with him anymore – when he was annoyed and angry there was simply no winning. That much I had learnt by now!


End file.
